December 09, 2013
Photline Technologies, an iXBlue company, is proud to be playing a material role in the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) project being pursued jointly by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Early 2013, Photline supplied a seed laser and a ModBox lithium niobate based optical data modulation unit to ESA for incorporation into an all-optical, two-way space communications system. The system is the first ever to use an optical laser rather than radio waves to transmit data across space.
The LLCD project recently succeeded in establishing a communications link between an ESA ground station in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, and NASA’s LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) satellite 400 000 km away in orbit round the Moon. Both the station and the satellite are fitted with terminals to transmit and receive pulses of highly focused, near-infrared laser light. Using these terminals, it has been possible to transfer data upwards and downwards in a robust, error-free fashion – and to do it very quickly. Downlink reception has been demonstrated at data rates of up to 40 Mbps. The system has already been used to measure the time of travel of the satellite very accurately and from this to calculate its orbit around the Moon.
Henri Porte, CEO of Photline Technologies, said, “ESA has expressed its confidence in the practicality of high data-rate optical links and stated that the present system points the way to lighter, smaller communications systems capable of downloading massive amounts of data from spacecraft orbiting the Earth and distant planets. We are thrilled to have been granted the opportunity to contribute to this ground-breaking project. It is a great reward for the enormous effort we have put into the development of lithium niobate opto-electronic technology over many years.”
Photline Technologies holds a number of key patents covering lithium niobate technology and its use in opto-electronic devices such as the ModBox data modulation unit supplied to ESA. The company is involved in the entire lithium niobate value chain, from the computer-assisted design of devices through their production to their characterisation and systems integration. The company was formed in 2000 as a spin-out from the University of Besançon, France, which is world-renowned for its work in this area.
Photline Technologies has worked closely with iXBlue for a number of years, particularly on the development of inertial navigation systems based on fiber-optic gyroscope technology. The company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of iXBlue in July 2013.
About Photline Technologies
Photline Technologies is a member of the iXBlue group of companies and a provider of Fiber Optics Modulation Solutions based on the company LiNb03 modulators and high-speed electronics modules. Photline Technologies offers high speed and high data rate modulation solutions for the telecommunication industry and the defense, aerospace, instruments and sensors markets. The products offered by the company include : comprehensive range of intensity and phase modulators (800 nm, 1 060 nm, 1 300 nm, 1 550 nm, 2 000 nm), RF drivers and modules, transmitters and modulation units.
To learn more about Photline, visit the company’s website at www.photline.com
About iXBlue
iXBlue is an independent industrial worldwide group well-known for the design, development and manufacture of equipment, integrated systems and solutions for civil and military industries, oceanology, aeronautics and spatial industries. Its innovative technology is used for navigation, positioning, sub-sea imagery, ocean and land exploration (offshore, oceanography, hydrography, geophysics). iXBlue is a major player in offshore oil and gas, a world leader in high-performance sea navigation systems and an expert in hydrography; the group regularly invests in research and development amounting to more than 20% of turnover. iXBlue
is present throughout the world, has a growth rate of 20%, employs 450 people and turns over $ 100 M of which 80% is for export.
To learn more about iXBlue, visit the company’s website at www.ixblue.com
